Whether youre racing your toys in a stream by the street gutter, or youre sending them downstream in a creek, youll need a dependable raft. Without a well-built raft you could end up losing or ruining your favorite toys. Most people think of making rafts out of wooden pieces but theres a different design thats so much better. Use soda bottles to make a raft that not only floats well but is easy to assemble.
Youll need a collection of 20 oz soda or water bottles to make the raft. The bottles must be all the same size and shape. Youll be the one who decides how long, and how wide, to make the actual raft. Decide this by lining the bottles up in a row. When youve got enough bottles to create the desired width youll use a similar technique to decide on the length of the raft.
Begin making additional rows of bottles, under the first row, until you have enough rows to make the length you desire. Once youve got all the bottles aligned its time to make the shape permanent. There are several different ways to do so. Use tape, glue dots and other handy items to connect the bottles. If youre using double-sided tape, cut a long strip, place it down the side of one bottle, then push a second bottle next to the first. Firmly push the two bottles together without collapsing them. Continue this method until the width of the raft is completed. Keep the lids tightly screwed to the bottles at all times. Instead of glue strips you can use glue dots. The dots are found at any craft store and are not expensive. Pull several dots off the sheet, position them down the side of the first bottle, then continue this technique until the width of the float is complete. After youve finished one row, do another, and another row until you have the amount of rows needed to complete the length of the raft. To attach the rows of bottles together, lay the first row on a flat surface with lids facing away from you and bottle bottoms facing towards you. Now lay the second row beneath the first, so that the lids of the second row align with the bottoms of the first row. Use glue dots or strips to hold the lids of the second row to the bottoms of the first row. Continue in this manner until all rows are connected. Glue dots arent all that stable but they hold the bottles together temporarily. Now youll need to use tape to further strengthen the bottle raft. Choose wide, clear tape to wrap around the bottles. Start on the side of the raft, at the top area, and wrap the tape around the entire row of bottles. Start on the side again, slightly lower than the first wrap, and wrap the next row of bottles. Each wrap, except for the first one, should be halfway on one row and halfway on the row below it. After youve completely wrapped the raft you can then make the top of the raft. Although the raft will float as-is, and can hold any number of toys or dolls, it looks more finished, and will have a less lumpy top, if you add a layer of foam or something similar. Cut a piece of craft foam and use it as the top of the raft. Spray adhesive works best but even ordinary white glue can be used to attach the raft top. Instead of foam you can also use a thin slab of wood. As long as the lids are tightly on the bottles the raft will be strong enough to hold the wood. Other options include fastening a toy couch or chair to the raft. This is only helpful if youre floating dolls. If youll be transporting equipment, like vehicles or tools, you can do without the floating furniture. Building a plastic bottle raft or float is easy and fun, and best of all, itll hold up for years! Since its so lightweight it will fly down the river or creek. You wont believe how fast the little raft will move and how quickly you can get your toy people and trucks to their destination downstream. Get busy working on your toy raft. Its looking like rain...
No comments:
Post a Comment